Folk Art Nativity Carving
The Appeal of English Cottage Style Furniture
If you are lucky enough to live in a country cottage you will recognise the utter appeal of English cottage style furniture. There is no doubt that tasteful furniture that is in keeping with its surroundings, contributes to the convivial heart of a home and this is no more so than with the appropriate use of cottage style furniture.
Historically cottage furniture was designed to be practical, comfortable and above all affordable. Although these days many genuine antique pieces can fetch enormous sums of money, originally much of the furniture designed and created for cottages was modern in its day and was simply hewn from natural materials that were easily to hand.
These materials would have included mighty oaks, beech, ash, tall pines, wild cherry, pliable willow and the great elm trees – sadly no longer with us. All were cut and felled from fields, woods, river banks and open moorland and then left to season before being turned into chairs, tables, stools, settles, four-poster beds, dressers and cupboards by skilled local craftsmen.
The dark stained and polished traditional cottage style furniture you see today, in antique shops, cottages and even old manor houses, would originally have started life as light or pale coloured wood that only darkened over the centuries. Any furniture that survived through to the modern day became more valued and much sought after items in their own right.
Many of these pieces would have originally have been part of co-ordinating sets of furniture comprising a double bed, a wash stand, a dresser, a small table, chairs, and sometimes a wardrobe. A hundred years ago or more an English cottage would have been a very small and unsophisticated dwelling occupied by local villagers and farm workers.
These were generally speaking quite poor people, who wanted nothing more than simple and affordable comfort at the end of the day. Their furniture needed to be functional and robust, which is why genuine cottage furniture is rarely elaborate, except for bucolic carvings and painted decoration.
Flowers, fruit, hedgerow plants, farming symbols, birds and animals were the most common carved features; these were done by local cabinet makers, who in the main didn’t have any formal training. The painted embellishments were either slightly primitive, with a Folk Art feel to them or, if the artist was talented, featured highly detailed and beautifully executed scenes.
Furniture made from pine was the cheapest and probably the easiest to work but because it lacked the patina of the beautiful hard woods many pine pieces of furniture were painted and then decorated to enhance the rather plain appearance; although there are a few examples where the natural wood was varnished but left unpainted with the exception of some painted floral accents.
True English cottage furniture is homely and unfussy and should feel inviting when you walk into a room. It does in fact have a charming naïve quality that is a large part of its appeal; indeed to people from all over the world. Many a well-worn country kitchen chair, lovingly fashioned from a piece of elm or beech, has gone on to become a collector’s item, far from its native land.
Quite a lot of cottage furniture in the past could be picked up cheaply from auctions and junk shops or even be passed down from relatives. These days though original pieces of cottage furniture are less attainable, more costly and highly desirable, especially since the shabby chic style became so popular; which is why there is now a growing demand for good quality reproduction pieces.
When putting together a cottage style room it is important to be sure of which direction you want to follow so be certain to focus your ideas before you start. For instance do you want to create a classic old cottage look using mostly old oak furniture alongside lots of pretty fabrics or do you lean more towards the shabby chic look using distressed and painted furniture, with corresponding accessories? Once you’ve decided on the general theme tie your look together so that it appears effortless and uncontrived.
You can probably now see just how important it is to use the right type of cottage furniture to ensure getting the exact look you want for your home. You will not achieve a calm rural ambience in any room that looks a mish-mash of ill-chosen furniture and oddments. Keep a rigid sense of direction and try to plan as near as possible the exact layout and room position of your major signature pieces. Once these are in place the rest of your furniture and special treasures will fit naturally round them.
It is sometimes worth spending a reasonable sum of money on one stunning item if you feel it will transform a hitherto plain area into somewhere captivating and welcoming. There is no doubt that something like a beautiful polished antique chest sporting a vase of cottage garden flowers can turn a room into a masterpiece of design.
As with all décor pick your colour schemes carefully to complement your English cottage furniture, making sure there are plenty of nature’s tones on the walls, floors and upholstery. Shades of pink, rose, brown, yellow, rust and green are perfect for that English cottage look but keep it subtle to maintain the antique, aged and cosy feel that is appropriate for this style. Be sure to stay well away from sleek, highly polished and modern furniture; even one inappropriate piece can destroy the whole balance of a room.
Nothing has to match, and if it doesn’t, so much the better. The overall effect you want to achieve is a look of charm and distinct comfort. Anything that you have found or bought that is a bit worse for wear can be painted or covered with new fabric to help it fit into your overall scheme. In the past it was not unusual for pieces to be adapted from one use to another, for example an old cottage door have might be remodeled into a kitchen table; don’t be afraid to do the same if you have the talent.
Finally if you are furnishing a small space it is often best to choose one large focal piece of furniture and then add smaller well-chosen items to fit in around it. When a restricted space is filled with to many smaller pieces, it tends to make the room appear fussy, cluttered and even unkempt. Also avoid the temptation of pushing everything directly up against the walls, it is usually best to arrange furniture in an “L” shape, without blocking the natural flow of the room.
Good storage methods are a must when it comes to living in modest spaces so try to make your larger pieces of furniture such as blanket chests, dressers and settles double-up as extra storage space, this way they become dual purpose pieces and help keep your home both tidy and well-organised.
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The Van Rensselear Children Portrait 1840 antique oil painting ! Folk art $24,900.00 |
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Antique Pair of Iconic American Folk Art Carved Pine Wood Eagle Sculpture – RARE $20,000.00 |
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Metal Art Sculpture Sculptor for Hire Travel Design fabricate install folk art ! $20,000.00 |
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Mamie Falk Folk Art Oil Painting – Considered Minnesota’s “Grandma Moses” $19,750.00 |
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Yuri Gorbachev ORIGINAL Landscape Oil painting Folk Art $17,500.00 |
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Folk Art wood statue of Grover Cleveland 1894 $9,500.00 |
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Antique Ship Captain Folk Art Carved Coconut Chalice $8,500.00 |
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Original Oil On Canvas Painting by Minni Hines Bayou Scene Folk Art 24×48 $8,495.75 |
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Chinese folk art sculpture carving stone inkstone for painting and handwriting $6,890.00 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art stone sculpture carving inkstone inkslab fly dragon $6,329.00 |
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Banjo Boy/ Pre-Civil War Folk Art on Linen $6,000.00 |
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LARGE Antique Americana Folk Art Painting of Boy -Civil War Col. Orlando H Moore $5,999.99 |
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Yuri Gorbachev Original Oil Painting Russian Art Folk $5,990.00 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art sculpture carving inkstone inkslab—Avalokitesvara $5,590.00 |
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AMERICAN FOLK ART PUPPET THEATRE QUEENS,NY $5,000.00 |
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Clementine Hunter Signed Framed Folk Art Painting Cotton Pickin’ c1977 20×26.25 $5,000.00 |
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vincent van gogh sculpture outsider folk art Dale Teachout assemblage junk $5,000.00 |
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Bessie Harvey Folk Art Found Object Museum Piece!!! $5,000.00 |
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PAIR OF 19TH C FOLK ART PORTRAITS PAINTINGS SIGNED P MARTIN 1886 HUSBAND & WIFE $4,999.99 |
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ANTIQUE 19th CENTURY AMERICAN FOLK ART ETCHED GLASS ALLEGHENY CTY PA GERMAN WOW $4,999.99 |
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ANTIQUE 19th CENTURY AMERICAN FOLK ART FISH HOOK MASSIVE IRON TRADE SIGN $4,999.99 |
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Signed OLD master GESSO FRAME OIL ON CANVAS PORTRAIT NELSON pipe Folk art $4,999.00 |
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Clementine Hunter Folk Art Painting Signed “Picking Cotton” $4,850.00 |
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Chinese folk art sculpture carving stone inkstone double dragon holding the sun $4,690.00 |
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FOLK ART OIL PAINTING PORTRAIT CHILD ICONIC RED DRESS PRINCE CHARLES SPANIEL $4,500.00 |
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Corbels Pair Wood Winged Griffins Victorian Old Paint Architectural Folk Art $4,500.00 |
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FOLK ART PAINTING SULLIVAN COUNTY NEW YORK J R GEROW $4,500.00 |
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Exceptional Folk Art Painting $4,500.00 |
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Johnnie Swearingen! Great Folk Art!!! Peddling Melons $4,500.00 |
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New England Folk Art Portrait on Canvas Ca.1830 $4,500.00 |
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Clementine Hunter Signed Framed Folk Art Painting Wash Day c1977 19.25 x 23.25in $4,500.00 |
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A Outstanding Early Trade Axe,Folk Art Hatchet, $4,500.00 |
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Yuri Gorbachev Original Oil Painting Russian Art Folk $4,490.00 |
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FANTASTIC FOLK ART CHEST $4,200.00 |
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Clementine Hunter Signed Framed Folk Art Painting African Headdress c1977 25.5h $4,000.00 |
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ANTIQUE MINIATURE PRIMITIVE FOLK ART WOOD RURAL SCENE FRAMED 12 1/4″ UNIQUE $3,885.00 |
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*RARE TRAMP / FOLK ART Shoe Shine Box – Brass/Wood-Detailed-Ornate-Exquisite $3,800.00 |
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Antique KNOTTY Tree Root Twig FOLK ART CHAIR Set GOODY KOONCH West Virginia $3,750.00 |
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Original Mexican Folk Art Icons Retablo:18-19th century $3,650.00 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art sculpture carving inkstone-an old man finshing alone $3,590.00 |
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Folk Art Hand Carved Soldier,6ft Tall Pick Up Only $3,532.50 |
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Unique/Exceptional Large Oval Folk Art Santa Claus Wood Carving signed Cobb 98 $3,500.00 |
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Painting Vintage 50s Cowboy Folk Art Levis Jeans Vinicur Little Buckaroo Parade $3,500.00 |
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Advertising Art / Folk Art / Christmas Hooked Rug – 5′x3 1/2′ $3,500.00 |
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Johnnie Swearingen! Great Folk Art!!! $3,500.00 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art sculpture carving inkstone inkslab—Lofty aspiration $3,490.00 |
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Terrazzo Marble Micro Mosaic Latin Ethnic Musicians Mural Folk Fine Art $3,374.99 |
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Original Mexican Folk Art Icons Retablo:18-19th century $3,250.00 |
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FINE 19c EARLY FOLK ART PORTRAIT PAINTING $3,225.00 |
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Israel Jewish Art,Sara Hagay,Israeli Folk Dance “hora”,Oil,Judaica,Framed $3,000.00 |
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mud painting signed jimmy sudduth a real folk art outsider master piece $3,000.00 |
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ANTIQUE AMERICAN FOLK ART WOOD CANE ISLE ROYALE FIRE WW2 D DAY GI ? KENOSHA WI $2,999.99 |
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FRANK WYSO OUTSIDER FOLK ARTIST PENNSYLVANIA COAL MINERS 4 WORKS OF ART $2,999.99 |
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King’s Couch Rare One of a Kind Yard Art from Chicago Folk Hand Made furniture $2,999.99 |
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ANTIQUE 19th AMERICAN FOLK ART NATURALIST BUFFALO SETON STYLE CATLIN PAINTING $2,999.99 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art sculpture carving inkstone inkslab man walk in forest $2,999.00 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art sculpture carving inkstone inkslab a man watch moon $2,999.00 |
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fine Chinese handcraft folk art stone sculpture carving inkstone inkslab scenery $2,890.00 |
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Temperance Movement Folk Art Painting Folk Art Temperance Painting $2,850.00 |
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Anonymous Folk Art Carving Figure with Crown in Skirt with Snake $2,799.99 |
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ANTIQUE OIL PAINTING FOLK ART NEW ENGLAND ‘HUGES’ 1892 $2,750.00 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art stone sculpture carving inkstone inkslab with dragon $2,690.00 |
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FOLK ART Antique Wood Polychrome Carved Asian Figure Sculpture $2,500.00 |
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HUGE 37″ Antique 19th American Folk Art Carved Gilt Wood Eagle Statue Americana $2,500.00 |
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Antique Primitive Folk Art Hand Carved Wooden Dough Bowl $2,500.00 |
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FOLK ART OIL PAINTING OF THE SS “OCEAN” STEAMSHIP $2,475.00 |
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Ca. 1820 American Folk Art Painting Deformed Man $2,450.00 |
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James Harold Jennings Amazing and Colorful Folk Art! $2,400.00 |
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Doris Lee – Folk Art Painting – Signed and Titled – Original Condition $2,400.00 |
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DC: Prison Folk Art Matchstick Ship, HUGE 5′ Length $2,379.00 |
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Amazing ORIGINAL NAUTICAL AMERICAN FOLK ART PAINTING $2,285.00 |
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Early 20th Century Folk Art Sheep Painting/ Inside Barn $2,250.00 |
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FOLK ART COLLAGE/Presidential Stamp Collage $2,250.00 |
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Folk Art Handmade Ceramic Sculpture Plaque Dentist Pulling Tooth Dicker Vintage $2,200.00 |
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ANTIQUE Americana TRADE SIGN IMMIGRATION FOLK ART NYC ICE CREAM PUSH CART $2,200.00 |
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Ohio Pioneer Abraham Betz 1818 HANDWRITTEN LESSON BOOK with FOLK ART $2,150.00 |
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HAITIAN ART: Vibrant PAINTING, SIGNED by Renowned Folk Artist TOUSSAINT AUGUSTE $2,150.00 |
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Philippines National Artist Abdul Imao Brass Sculpture w/ Base Mindanao Folk Art $2,100.00 |
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Ellen Eilers Calico Country Folk Art Woodcut Ornamental Trees Rare Early Work $2,000.00 |
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ANTIQUE 19th CENTURY AMERICAN FOLK ART FRUIT STILL LIFE WATERMELON OIL PAINTING $1,999.99 |
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ANTIQUE AMERICAN FOLK ART WOOD BALEEN CARVED SPERM WHALE GROTESQUE AMERICANA WOW $1,999.99 |
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ANTIQUE AMERICAN FOLK ART SHIP LIGHTHOUSE LARGE OIL PAINTING GERNAND VERMIER $1,999.99 |
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Vtg Rutherford Tubby Brown Xmas 25″Folk Art Santa Claus $1,999.99 |
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AMERICAN FOLK ART GAMEBOARD TABLE WITH SWASTIKAS $1,999.00 |
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Chinese handcraft folk art sculpture carving inkstone peasant work on his land $1,999.00 |
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LAURA SIQUEIROS “POSEIDONS ADVENTURE” FOLK ART PAINTING $1,999.00 |
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Old Folk Art Cinderella pre Disney & Kincade Beautiful $1,995.00 |
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Clyde Connell 1943 Folk Art hooked rug signed LISTED $1,900.00 |
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ANTIQUE AMERICAN FOLK ART WOOD CARVING TOBACCO CIGAR TRADE SIGN ? DISPLAY WOW $1,899.99 |
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Chinese folk art sculpture carving stone inkstone for painting and handwriting $1,890.00 |
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WELSH AMERICAN SIGNED FOLK ART PAINTING JFK PT 109 $1,850.00 |
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ORIGINAL TEXAS ARTIST FERGUSON OIL PAINTING FOLK ART $1,822.50 |
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C Peterson ORIGINAL modern FOLKART sculpture SIGN ART painted OUT of WORK tools $1,817.00 |
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48x48x1.5″█OIL▀PAINTING█ART█LARGE█BIG█PAINTINGS█FINE█RAW█MALE█REALISM█FOLK_POP█A $1,800.00 |
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American Folk Art Painting of Little Girl Circa 1825 $1,800.00 |
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Emma Schrock Folk Art 16″ by 12″ $1,795.00 |
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c1920 Girl Knitting Folk Woman Antique Art Signed Oil Estate Painting $1,795.00 |
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Folk Art Wood Carving Listed Folk Artist Albert Hoffman $1,750.00 |
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Folk Art New England Oil on Canvas Painting/Circa 1860 $1,750.00 |
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HUTCH TABLE WITH FOLK ART 4 SEASON ARTIST PAINTED TOP $1,750.00 |
